Blows in NPP as Tina Mensah fights chairman

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Weija-Gbawe Tina Mensah engaged in a fisticuff with her constituency chairman Samuel Ofori Ampomah over party flyers and miniature flags.

Mr. Ampomah who described his parliamentary candidate as “disrespectful” said Mrs Mensah has sidelined him and other constituency executives and running her personal campaign “at the detriment of the party” in the constituency.

Confirming the incident at the party’s regional headquarters, Mr. Ampomah said a “bad blood has been flowing between the two of them for close to a year now.”

Speaking to Starrfmonline.com , Mr. Ampomah said they had converged at the regional party office for the items which were supposed to have been received by constituency chairmen. However, Mrs. Mensah, who is not on “talking terms with a lot of us went ahead to pick the items.”

“I told her I won’t allow her but she insisted, so it became an open fight and altercation between the two of us. I told her I won’t allow her to pick the items and it ended up in insults and push and shove,” a visibly disappointed Ampomah told
Starrfmonline.com . “She doesn’t involve any of us, even me as chairman, in her campaign and how do you expect to win?”

He added: “Tina must begin to show me respect as a chairman else it doesn’t look good for the NPP in this 2016 elections. As for our sitting MP, Rosemond Abrah, don’t go there. They have not been talking ever since she lost the primaries. She has decided to stay out of the party’s affairs and nothing seems to be working with regards to the campaign.

“Let me tell you, when Nana Addo [the NPP flagbearer] came to this constituency did you see our MP with him. It was only Tina. This should tell you all is not well. The party’s regional executives have tried on countless occasions to resolve this issue between Tina and us but it is not working.”

“The candidate is not ready to cooperate with us. We are also not ready to let her usurp our powers. I am the chairman and she must respect me,” Mr. Ampomah pointed out.

A constituency executive who wants to remain anonymous said “it was a nasty scene at the regional headquarters.”

“How could a parliamentary candidate and a chairman fight over flyers and miniature flags? As a result of yesterday’s altercation and mini-fight we were unable to receive our consignment and I don’t know when this will be resolved,” the executive said.

“We have been in this party and worked a lot to get the party this far before Tina came. So if she is not ready to cooperate then we will all lose this 2016 elections as far as the parliamentary race is concerned. Her behaviour is unacceptable and we would not tolerate it,” the constituency executive added.

Tina Mensah is contesting the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) Obuobia Darko-Opoku for the Weija-Gbawe seat which is currently being held by the main opposition NPP.